Official gets four-year suspension for assaulting match official

The Premier Soccer League (PSL) Disciplinary Committee on 11 June 2013 made its ruling in the case involving Blackburn Rovers and club chairman, Dumisani Mcedani.

Mcedani was charged with assaulting a match official, Bafana Mosia, during Blackburn Rover’s fixture against United FC on Saturday, 27 April 2013 at the Mthatha Stadium. The club was also charged with failure to protect the match officials.

Blackburn Rovers FC was acquitted but Mcedani was found guilty and was suspended from all footballing activities under the auspices of the NSL for a period of four years.

He was also ordered to pay all the costs of the hearing including the cost of securing the attendances of the League’s witnesses.

PSL Prosecutor, Nandé Becker said: “I hope that this will send a strong message to all football officials and players. We all have the right to disagree with decisions made by match officials but at the end of the day we must respect not only the decisions but also the officials who make the decisions, even if they may have been wrong. Under no circumstances will the League stand idly by and tolerate any forms of violence or disrespect towards match officials. The type of behavior exhibited by Mr. Mcedani simply has no place in football.”